Locking device for gear-shifting levers of automobiles.



L CH ELLIS. LOCKING DEVKCE FOR GEAR SHiFTiNG LEVERS 0F AUTDMOBILES.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

zen of the United IRA C. ELLIS, OF EAST ST. LOUIS, -I LLI NOIS.

IlocKIiIG'DEvIoE sort GEAR-SHIFTINGLEVERS or AUTOMOBILES.

igeisgsoz r.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, IRA ,G. ELLIS; a citi-- States, residing at Eastt. Louis,' in the countyoi' St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented certain new andwiseful IllllillfOVQlllGIlllSlll Locking Devices for Gear-Shifting Levers of Automobiles, of \VlllClllihfi following is a specification, reference being had to the accompany: ing drawings 7 This invention an automobile and has for its primary object to provide simple. and easily operated means for locking the lever in a neutral position' and preventing its actuation-by unauthorizexl persons.

It is also another object of my invention to provide a device of'the above character wherein thesoveral operating parts are entirelyinclosed and protected against injury so that the device will at all times be efi'ec;

tive and reliahle'in operation.

it is a further general object of the invention to produce a lever'locking device for the abova purpose which is eiiceedingly simple in i. construction and may be produced at relatively 1g cost.'

small manufacturii With the above and other objects in View, my invention. consists in the novel features of construction combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a igert cal sectional view through the leveiu showingthe same locked in its neutral position;

Fig. is a section taken on the line 2-2 i of Fig. 1, the locking dog being shown in 40 its released position in dotted lines; and

Fig. 3 1s a section taken on the line 33 I on Fig; 1.

. .lteierring in detail to the drawing, 5 desi'gnates tl a shaft which is operatively connected to the gear shifting clutches, and-G or sleeve '7 of its ends surrounding the a tubular lever having a hub formed on one shaft 5. uAn opening 8 extendsv dianietri and communicates cally throiigh the sleeve 7 with the inner end of the tubular lever 6.

This opening registers with'a similar open ing 9 formed in .the shaft 5. rod '10; constructed in two halves or sections, isi'adapted to be engaged within the hollow lever 6, and theseLrod sections, at one of-their ends, itre cxteriorly threaded, as at 11, for engage Specification of Letters Patent. r

concave face, as shown seat for said head.

longitudinally bored, as

j I I Through said here and the coinciding relates vto an improved locking device for the gear shifting lever of hollow head lilhas fully described claimed and illustrated in the other end thereof against the to said rod. This spring iiorn'ially acts to and through :11195 rod 10 against .formed in the periphery barrel 18 so that the .20 will bear upon the rod 1 6, and force the r Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

7 Application filed .Tulyil, 1916. "Serial No. 108,216.

nient with complementary threads on the interior wall of the lever. The other ends of the. sections of the rod 10 are of hollow,

knob 12, the end of the lever (Shaving a at 13, constituting a The sectional rod 10. is

at ll, one end of said borebeing enlarged as shown ings 8 and 9 in the sleeve 7 and'shaft 5, a locking rod-l6 extends. I i v The spherical knob or head '12 1s prohemispherical form to provide a head or w open-- vided with a diametrically extending openz70 ing within which a lockcasingl'l' is suitably'secured. The wall of one section ofthc an inwardly projecting lug 12 formed thereon engaged in a recess inone end of the lock casing 17, whereby 75 the latter is properly supported in position. The other section of the head 1:2 is centrally formed with an opening in which the other end of the lock casing 17 fits. An annular flange 1'4? projects inwardly ofthe opening in the-head I2 and seats in a peripheral groore in the lock'casing A rotatable barrel -l8 SLlliltlJlY IllOllRtBd in said casing and is formed with a keyhole from the edge so slot 1.9.- lhe inner end of this barrel is pro 3.

vided with an angularly projecting'lug 20 v having a cam face 21 forbearing engage ment upon one endoif the rdd l6. Acoil spring is arranged upon the rod 16 and withinthe larger section 15 of the rod 10, one end oi? said spring bearing against the inner cndof the collar 23 fixed force the rod '16 outwardly opening? 24 1n the lock casing lz in which saidrod is slidably engaged.

v 25-des1gnates a plate-having a bracket 26 thereon formed with a socket 271:0 receive the other end of the locking rod 16.

For the purpose of securely holding the turning movement within the hollow'lever' 6, a set ed in the lever for; engagement in a recess of the rod 10.

In the operation of the device, it will be understood that the owner of the automobile equipped with my invention may readily in: sertjhiskey in the slot 19 androtate the, cam face 21 of the lug same downwardly against the actio'n of the the bore in bore and the.

screw 28 is thread i Q i i 1,215,509

bracket 26. This lug, when moved to a position in axial alinement with the rod 16,

effectually holds said rod against an upward movement and thereby retains the lever in its neutral position and locks the same against actuation so that the machine cannot be used by unauthorized persons. When the-owner reverses the rotation of the lock barrel so to disengage the lug 20 from the rod I6, the spring'22 will immediately act to force the rod upwardly out of the socket 2t and release the lever for operation, whereby the power transmission gears may be shifted as desired.

From the'foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the. construction, manner of operation and several advantages of my invention will be clearly and fully understdod. It will be seen that I have produced a very simple and serviceable device for-securely locking' the gear shitting lever of an automobile which, however, may he easilyv and-quickly actuated to release the lever when it is desired to operate the machine. The several parts of the device are entirely inclosed and housed within the lever so that they are protected by the lever against the action of the elements and also from injury in the event of an accident. The device can, however, be easily and quickly-disassembled and the several operating parts of the lock removed from the lever arm. These. parts being all of very simple form can be readily replaced when necessary at nominal cost.

While I have shown and described the preferred construction and arrangement ot' the several detail features of the device, it isqto he understood that the same are snsceptible ot' consul-arable modihcatmn therein and l. theretore, reserve the privilege ol adopting all such legitimate. changes as may be fairly cmlaodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire toclaim and secure by Letters Patent is I l. The combination with a tubular gear shifting lever, of a longitudinally bored rod fitted within said lever, a locking rod operating in the bore of said first-named rod, a keeper, a spring normally acting to hold. said locking rod out of engagement with the keeper, and means mounted upon the outer end of said first named rod to co-act with theother end of the locking rod and project said rod into locking engagement with the keeper.

-2. The combination with a tubular gear shitting lever. ot-a rod detachably titted within said tubular lever and having a longitudinal bore, a keeper, a locking rod oper ating in said bore, a spring -surroundmg the rod and normally acting to yieldingly hold the same out of engagement with the keeper, and cam means lllOllntEtlllPOH the outer end of said first named rod to co-act with the locking rod and project the same into looking engagement with the keeper.

3. The combination with a shaft and atubular lever thereon, said shaft and lever having coinciding openings commun cating with the inner end ot the tubular lever, of a rod detachably fitted within said tubular lever and having a longitudinal bore to communicate with said openings, a. locking rod shift-able through said bore and said openings, a keeper, a spring acting to normally hold the locking rod out of engagement with saiz} keeper, said first named rod being provide with a spherical head on its outer end. and a rotatable cam mounted within said head to co-act with one end of the lever and roject the other end thereof into locking engagement with said kee tier.

In testimony whereof I hereunto a 11 my signature in the presence of twowitnesses. I 1B); O. ELLIS.

.v'itnesses War. Fr. SCHRADER, Many ll. WYATT,

EST AVAILABLE COP 

